As we noted Friday in discussing the NFL's officiating situation, intensity around the NFL starts picking up once a team's third preseason game is complete. The first round of cuts, from 90 to 75 players, is Monday.
Reviewing Thursday's action at Paul Brown Stadium: Green Bay Packers 27, Cincinnati Bengals 13 Preseason record: 1-2 Of interest: Despite a successful debut by tailback Cedric Benson, quarterback Aaron Rodgers was once again the Packers' leading rusher.
Graham Harrell's underwhelming performance Thursday night as the Green Bay Packers' backup quarterback merits a visit to Adam Schefter's weekly mailbag. Even before the Packers' 35-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns, Schefter suggested the Packers offer a fifth-round pick to the Browns for backup Colt McCoy.
Reviewing Thursday's action at Lambeau Field: Cleveland Browns 35, Green Bay Packers 10 Preseason record: 0-2 Of interest: You wouldn't call this the sharpest game in preseason history for the Packers, but it's worth noting they began sitting starters after a couple of series and the Browns left theirs in for most of the first half.
Reviewing Thursday's action at Qualcomm Stadium: San Diego Chargers 21, Green Bay Packers 13 Preseason record: 0-1 Of interest: Overall, a pretty ugly night for the defending NFC North champions. Two defensive starters departed with injuries, and the biggest concern was the condition of linebacker Desmond Bishop, who left the sideline on a cart because of a right knee injury.
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- I didn't forget ya. Yes, I realize the Green Bay Packers' practice ended about seven hours ago, but, well, a bunch of things happened in between. Without further ado, let's run through some Tuesday practice thoughts -- if I can remember back that far.
Three thoughts as training camps open around the NFL: One thing I'm certain of: I'll need an updated copy of the Green Bay Packers' roster when I watch their defensive practices. There are a bunch of new faces, acquired via free agency and the draft, and many of them could play prominent roles in the 2012 season.
SportsCenter's divisional analysis moves to the NFC North on Tuesday night (ESPN2, 7 p.m. ET). We've already discussed our most versatile players as well as potential breakout players, so let's give our television pals a pre-show primer on the biggest improvement (and regression) each division team made this offseason: Chicago Bears: Enhanced comfort zone for quarterback Jay Cutler In detail: The Bears fully committed to Cutler three years after acquiring him from the Denver Broncos.
The Cleveland Browns are shopping quarterback Colt McCoy and are looking for "minimal compensation," sources told NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah. It's obvious that the Browns weren't impressed by McCoy last season.
As promised, let's take a stab at answering the questions we posed earlier this week in advance of mandatory minicamps for three NFC North teams. (Original post here.) Chicago Bears: State of the offense and the progress of rookie defensive end Shea McClellin.
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